Skift Global Forum Livestream

Livestream begins Thursday, September 19 at 8:50am ET

Jump to the Agenda

Click bottom right corner for full-screen view.

Travel Industry Sponsors

Insights Partner

Official Translation Partner

Event Tech Partner

Destination Management Partner

Agenda

Read more about speakers on the event site.

Tuesday, September 17

6:00 PM
A Long-Term View on Travel
With Glenn Fogel, Booking Holdings CEO and President

6:35 pm
Protecting Travel’s Economic Future
With Richard R. Verma, U.S. Department of State Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources


Wednesday, September 18

8:50 am
Forum Introduction
With Rafat Ali, Skift CEO/Founder

9:00 am
The Evolving Role of Experiences in Travel
With Ruzwana Bashir, Peek Founder and CEO; Jules Seeley, McKinsey & Company Senior Partner; and Nishank Gopalkrishnan, TUI Musement Chief Commercial Officer

9:25 am
Broadening Travel’s Playing Field
With Steve Hill, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) CEO and President and Sandra Douglass Morgan, Las Vegas Raiders President

9:55 am
Transforming Hospitality at Scale
With Geoff Ballotti, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts President and CEO

10:20 am
A Deep Dive Into Changing Traveler Habits
With Audrey Hendley, American Express Travel President

10:30 am
Driving Economic Growth Through Tourism
With Issam Kazim, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing CEO

10:50 am
Networking Break

11:20 am
Building a More Seamless and Secure Travel Future
With David Pekoske, U.S. Transportation Security Administration Administrator

11:40 am
Evolving Travel Insurance to Meet Changing Customer Needs
With Anna Kofoed, Allianz Partners Chief Officer, Travel

11:50 am
Proving That Profits Can Have Purpose
With James Thornton Intrepid Travel CEO

12:10 pm
Shaping Travel’s Next Era Through Deeper Partnerships
With Ling Hai, Mastercard President for Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa

12:20 pm
Staying Ahead of the Pace of Change
With Anthony Capuano, Marriott International President and CEO

12:45 pm
Lunch

1:45 pm
Meet the Skift 2024 Idea Awards Winners

1:50 pm
Skift Advisory: Why Tourism Needs a New PR Agency
With Greg Klassen, Skift Advisory Senior Director

2:00 pm
Tours, Activities, and Experiences Roundtable: What Comes Next?
With Eric Gnock Fah, Klook President and Co-Founder; Kristin Dorsett, Viator Chief Product Officer; and Tao Tao, GetYourGuide Co-Founder and COO

2:35 pm
Why Collaboration Is Essential for Independent Hotel Brands
With Chris Hartley, Global Hotel Alliance CEO and Kristi Gole, Global Hotel Alliance EVP Strategy

2:50 pm
Making Corporate Travel More Seamless
With Christal Bemont, Direct Travel CEO and Eric Bailey, Microsoft Global Director of Travel

3:15 pm
Rethinking the Luxury Hotel for a New Era
With Daniel Hostettler, The Boca Raton President & CEO

3:20 pm
The Essential Stories That Food Tells Us
With Stephen Satterfield, Whetstone Media Founder

3:45 pm
Networking Break

4:15 pm
The Future of Multi-Modal Travel
With Aaron Gowell SilverRail Co-Founder and CEO and Eliot Hamlisch, Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer

4:40 pm
Shaping the Future of Heritage Tourism
With Melanie de Souza, Royal Commission for AlUla Executive Director, Destination Marketing

4:50 pm
Aviation at an Inflection Point
With Andrew Nocella, United Airlines EVP and Chief Commercial Officer

5:15 pm
Expanding Airbnb Beyond Accommodations
With Brian Chesky, Airbnb Co-Founder & CEO

Thursday, September 19

8:50 am
Welcome Back
With Rafat Ali, Skift CEO/Founder

9:00 am
Skift Research: The State of Travel
With Pranavi Agarwal, Skift Senior Research Analyst

9:15 am
Empowering Traveler Choice
With Ariane Gorin, Expedia Group CEO

9:40 am
What’s Next for JetBlue
With Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue CEO

10:00 am
Timeshare Reimagined: Why Today’s Travelers are Choosing Vacation Ownership
Withy Jason Gamel, ARDA President and CEO

10:20 am
How Resorts Are Driving Growth and Loyalty
With William Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts International, CEO and President

10:45 am
Networking Break

11:15 am
Humanizing Travel in the Age of AI
With Matthew D. Upchurch, Virtuoso CEO

11:35 am
The Immediate Impact of AI on Customer Loyalty
With Damien Pfirsch, Head of Rocket Travel by Agoda and Chief Commercial Officer

11:50 am
A Better Model for Local Communities in Travel
With Zita Cobb, Shorefast & Fogo Island Inn Founder and CEO

12:10 pm
Driving Traveler Engagement and Unlocking Experiences
With Matt Goldberg, Tripadvisor President and CEO

12:30 pm
Investing in Travel’s Next Phase
Greg O’Hara, Certares Founder and Senior Managing Director